Shallon S

Where is My 23 Cents?

Some would believe sexism is gone in Hollywood with movies like Joy depicting a female lead role that does more than stay home. It’s behind the scenes where sexism still stands. For every dollar a man makes, women make only 77 cents. But how could it possibly be sexist? Women are just constantly working less hard than men and deserve this amount, right? Wrong. If anyone can give me a reason on why this is, I would love to hear it.
One recent account of sexism in Hollywood is the wage gap of the stars of American Hustle. The male leads, Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale, worked 45 days and earned $2.5 million. Leading female, Amy Adams, earned $1.25 million for the same amount of work. May I remind you, Amy Adams has four nominations for an Academy Award, and has won two Golden Globes. More than Cooper and Bale combined.
Though many claim that pay gap is ‘a myth’ or ‘total sham’(Kohn 2), there is more proof than amongst the actresses. Let’s just say women got paid less because they didn’t perform as well, but shall we account for the film executives? The co-presidents of Columbia pictures had hair raising salary differences. Michael De Luca made $2.4 million while female co-worker made $1.5 million. Would you still care to say that the wage gap is a myth? I hope not.
Jennifer Lawrence was similar to Adams on the wage gap. Her role in American Hustle made $1.25 million. Yet again less than her male co-stars. The way she sees is, Sony isn’t to blame for her lesser earnings. “If anything, I’m sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share.”(1). Her view of sexism is how women are treated if they fight for what is rightfully theirs. When men negotiate about their pay, they are applauded, but many women are publicized as divas. Lawrence has no hard feelings for Sony, but the media itself.
Some of Lawrence’s last words effectively displayed her opinion on the unethical treatment of women wanting their fair share. “I’m over trying to find the ‘adorable’ way to state my opinion and still be likable!”(1).
Lawrence represents women that are underappreciated everywhere. Rather than not standing up for herself anymore, like in her 2013 film, she took a stand, and so should all women. So I say enough with this wage gap doesn’t exist nonsense, and start getting women what they worked for: Equality in Hollywood.